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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a line
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. clip — a video
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com